Not Doing Things Properly
by llamaswithbowties
Summary: Blaine Anderson had always thought he would do things properly; get the highest grades possible, move to New York, go to college, get a job, buy a nice apartment, meet someone special who he'd eventually marry and start a family with. But when Blaine finds himself the dad at the age of 16, he's sure he won't accomplish any of these things. That is, until he meets Kurt.
1. Chapter 1

_**[A/N] So I was on a very long car journey and I had a bit of writer's block with Bubble Wrap, so I started writing this in hope that it would clear up the block a bit and ended up creating an epilogue of sorts to a new story... I'm not sure whether to continue, but if I do I might be a bit slow for a couple of weeks. Tell me what you think.**_

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Blaine Anderson imagined he'd do things properly. He'd get the highest grades possible, move to New York and go to college, graduate with degrees in music and teaching, get a job in an elementary school as a music teacher, save up and buy a nice apartment, meet someone special who he'd eventually marry and start a family with. He'd had this planned out in his head since he started high school.

However, things didn't always go to plan.

Blaine came out to his parents when he was 14; they were the first people he'd actually told. They'd always been the best parents ever and he was sure him being gay wouldn't affect their relationship at all. In fact, he thought that level of honesty would strengthen their relationship. Unfortunately, when he told them, they didn't react how he thought they would. They weren't angry, they didn't hate him, but he could see the disappointment on their faces. They told him they accepted him for who he was, they told him they didn't mind him being gay, but he could sense a change. They didn't try as hard with him or invite him to spend time with them anymore. They treated him as more of a house guest than a son, making sure he went to school and was fed, but not bothering to make effort with him. They avoided talking about him being gay as much as possible, and Blaine's dad even tried his attempt at 'straightening him out' by getting having him help rebuild a car on the front drive over summer.

Blaine couldn't stand the distance with his parents. He couldn't stand the thought of disappointing his parents. So he tried to change.

He came up with a few theories of how to make himself straight. He tried doing more manly things, joining the football team, watching shows with cars, putting his Vogue magazines and musicals in a box in the back of his closet. He tried to act like a normal teenage boy. However, none of these things seemed to work and he had to try another theory.

His second theory was that he was just attracted to boys because he'd never been with a girl and so he assumed he must like boys. So he decided his best option was to be with a girl. It wasn't difficult once he tried. No one at school knew he was gay and joining the football team was the best way to get girls. He went to parties and tried to flirt with girls, but once they started leaning in to kiss him or put their hand on his leg, he began getting uncomfortable and ended up chickening out at the last minute, coming up with an excuse to leave. He was annoyed with himself, to say the least. He needed to do this, to prove to himself and to his parents that he could be a good son to them.

So one night when he was asked to a party, he came up with a new idea. He began drinking as soon as he got there, slowly becoming buzzed and then getting drunker and drunker. At first it was for courage, but once he was really drunk, he found it easier to flirt and slowly he managed to kiss girls when they leaned in. He didn't get a girlfriend, but he got a bit of a reputation as a 'ladies man' which meant that more and more girls approached him at parties.

Laura Johansson was not different from the other girls. A cheerleader, popular, pretty. She approached him at a party when he was drunk and flirted. She kissed him and put her hand on his thigh. She slid closer and whispered in his ear, but then did something none of the girls had yet done. She grabbed him by the wrists and dragged him into one of the bedrooms.

Blaine didn't remember much of that night, partly due to his drunken state, but he believed mainly due to not wanting to remember. He remembered heat and sweat, placing his hands on her waist and avoiding breasts and curves, imagining the low moans he'd heard in 'those movies' he'd watched late at night when he knew his parents were deep asleep. He did however; remember waking up the next morning, naked, his head pounding and his stomach churning at the sight of the naked girl lying beside him.

He also clearly remembered the phone call he received just two weeks later from a sobbing Laura Johansson, explaining she'd missed her period and had taken some tests which confirmed she was pregnant, and it was definitely his. He swore at that moment, his whole world crashed down on him. He was just 15 years old. He was only just in his sophomore year of high school and he was learning that he was going to be a dad?

He hoped it would go away. He told Laura to wait a few weeks, maybe a month, as it could be a false alarm, but when a small bump began appearing, he couldn't deny it any longer. He was going to be a dad. He'd be 16 years old when the baby was born. How could he cope?

Soon, he had to tell his parents, which he knew would just worsen their disappointment. He did it after Laura's first ultrasound scan, 12 weeks into the pregnancy. He came home, a copy of the scan photo feeling like fire, burning his thigh through his jeans pocket. He went into the living room, as he would normally when he came home from hanging out with friends, and sat on the couch opposite his parents, trying his best to not look at them.

He finally broke when his mother asked what he'd done with his friends. He just burst into tears, bringing his legs up to cry into his knees and his mother, worried, hurried to his side to wrap her arms around him.

"Blaine, what's wrong?" she asked. "Did you have an argument with your friends?"

Blaine shook his head furiously, sniffing heavily to clear his airways so he could explain.

"No, mom. I did something really stupid," he explained between gulps of breath. "I didn't want to tell you, you're going to be so disappointed, you'll hate me, but I don't know what to do."

"Tell me what it is, Blaine," she whispered. "I could never hate you."

"I tried to be a better son," he murmured into the fabric of his mother's cardigan. "I tried to kiss girls and be straight."

"You didn't have to do that to be a better son, Blaine," his father input.

"I did. I saw the change since I came out. I'm not the son you expected, I'm not what you wanted. So, I tried to be different, but it wasn't working and I couldn't do it. I went to parties and I got drunk and I found it made it easier to be straight. It took away the discomfort and made me confident, but then this girl started flirting with me and kissing me and I went along with it because I was drunk and I... I..." Blaine gulped down a mouthful of air. "I slept with her."

"Oh honey, is that what's wrong? I can't be mad at you for that," she said. "I'm not too happy about you getting drunk, but mistakes happen, don't they?"

"That's not all," Blaine continued. "She's pregnant."

No one spoke for a whole minute. Blaine was sure that silence had never been so loud as he waited for them to say something, anything. He heard his dad exhale loudly before asking, "And it's yours?"

He couldn't respond verbally. He just nodded, his eyes squeezing tightly shut and a fresh wave of tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. His mother's arms were tight around him, and he looked up to see her facial expression. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, her expression was blank.

"Do you know what you're going to do?" asked his mother.

Blaine shook his head again. "She doesn't want to keep it. She wants to put it up for adoption, but I don't think I could give a child away. It's my fault that she's pregnant; I can't force a child into care. It's my responsibility to look after them."

"But Blaine, sweetie, you had so many plans. You wanted to go to college, be a teacher, didn't you?" his mother asked.

"Plans don't always work out. It's my fault that this happened so I'm going to have to take care of the baby," Blaine insisted.

"This is all my fault," his mother whimpered, her blank expression cracking. "If I'd have just tried a bit harder to be accepting of you then you wouldn't be in this mess."

"No, mom, it's not your fault. I didn't handle it well either. I didn't do things right," Blaine sobbed back. "But I'm going to try and do things right now. I'm going to try my best."

So Blaine tried his best. He got a job at a restaurant, working after school and every weekend. It was decent money, and he got some pretty good tips, but all of his money went into a savings account for baby things, for doctor's appointments and vitamins for Laura. His parents offered to help, but he insisted he did as much as he could on his own. The guest room was transformed into a nursery, using neutral colours as they weren't sure what the baby was going to be yet. He quit all of his extra curricular activities in order to have time to study and keep up his good grades. He began creating arrangements for as soon as the baby was born. Blaine's mother only worked Thursdays and Fridays so she offered to take care of the baby when she wasn't working and when Blaine was. For the other two days, he found a nursery. He began classes so that he would know how to take care of the child, how to bathe them, feed them, how to treat them when they were sick or change them, how to be a good dad.

When he wasn't working or making arrangements for when the baby arrived, he was with Laura, making sure she was okay. He wasn't sure whether it was because he felt guilty about getting her pregnant or whether it was because he wanted to make sure that the baby was okay or whether it was because they got along so well, but whenever he was with her she was treated like a princess. They became friends, if you could call the mother to your child your friend, and they were pretty close. He held her hand when they went for baby scans, he was there when she told her parents and held her when her hormones caused her to burst into tears.

"You'd be a great boyfriend," she told him one day. "I know things are complicated between us because of the baby and I don't think I could see us as ever being together, but one day, you'll make someone very happy."

Blaine sighed deeply before whispering, "Can I tell you something?"

"Anything," Laura replied.

"I'm gay," he admitted.

"You're... I don't understand, how can you be gay? You were always getting with girls, I mean we slept together," she said, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"I was trying my best not to be gay. I wanted to be the perfect son for my parents," he told her. "I was always drunk when I got with girls; it was the only way I could feel comfortable kissing them. No offence, you're absolutely gorgeous, but when we, erm, slept together, I was really drunk and had to do a lot of imagining."

"I understand," Laura sighed. "I mean, I understand why you did what you did. I'm sorry you felt like you had to."

"Are you going to tell everyone about me?" Blaine asked.

"Not if you don't want me to," Laura said.

"You can if you want to. I'm going to have to come out publicly sometime. I'll probably move school once the baby is born anyway. I don't want the hate passed on to him or her," he confessed.

"You're going to be a really good dad, Blaine. I'm sorry I can't be a good mom. I know we're the same age, but you're so much better than me. You take responsibility, you deal with things maturely, whereas I'm still a child. I don't think I could do what you're doing. You've prepared for everything; you've refused to give our child away. If there was anyone to get me pregnant accidentally, I'm glad it was you," she responded, managing a chuckle.

"Thank you," Blaine replied. "And I'm glad it was you and not some stuck up poop head who does nothing but whine."

"Poop head?" she questioned.

"I don't want to swear around the baby," he explained, placing a hand on Laura's swollen stomach. Laura grinned at him.

"Yeah, you're definitely going to be a great dad," Laura giggled.

The nine months passed quickly, and before he knew it, Blaine was receiving a phone call in the middle of the night explaining that Laura had gone into labour. He woke up his parents who came with him to the hospital. Laura squeezed his hand as she pushed and he muttered encouraging words to her. At 6.45 AM on 16th July 2011, Harmony Edan Anderson was born. Laura had agreed that Blaine should name the baby as he would be the one looking after it. He'd toyed with a lot of names for both genders, and had settled on this particular name for a girl. Harmony expressed his love and passion for music, a fate that he'd be giving up for his child. The middle name he'd decided after Harmony had been born.

The first time he had held her, the first time he had laid eyes on his daughter, Blaine could only think of one word to describe her. He therefore chose her middle name to be Edan, a Hebrew name that fitted his daughter exactly. It meant perfect.

Laura asked Blaine not to let her near the baby for a while. She knew she couldn't be a proper mother to the baby and didn't want to get too attached. Blaine agreed with her and kissed her forehead, requesting she keep in touch so he could make sure she was feeling okay.

Blaine was glad that Harmony had been born in the summer. It meant he could spend as much time with her as possible before having to return to school for his junior year. It also gave him time to get used to the midnight feedings and early morning that came with having a newborn. He tried to do as much as he could on his own, keeping Harmony's crib in his own room when Harmony first came home. That way he disturbed his parents as little as possible when she woke up during the night. He was the one to feed her, change her, and hold her when she cried. He once fell asleep, exhausted on the couch and freaked out when he woke up to find his mother giving Harmony her bottle.

"No, no, no!" he protested. "What are you doing?"

"She was grizzling," his mother explained. "She needed feeding and I didn't want to wake you. You've been exhausted. Anyway, you're going back to work next week and she needs to get used to me looking after her. You can't be here for her all of the time, Blaine."

Blaine's eyes began to well with tears and he wiped at them furiously. "I hate that," he said. "I can't stand the thought of her not being with me. What if she forgets who I am? What if she doesn't love me?"

"Blaine, that's never going to happen," she argued. "You're so good to her, it would be impossible for her not to love you. I mean, look at her now."

They both looked down to see Harmony, her eyes fixed on Blaine, wide and staring at him lovingly. Blaine swooped forwards and scooped the baby girl out of his mother's arms, holding her tightly as he rubbed her back to burp her.

"You're a brilliant father, Blaine. I was worried when you first told us; I worried that you wouldn't be able to handle it and you'd end up breaking down and leaving us with the baby. Now I think it's the opposite way round. You're not letting us help at all and you need it. You're exhausted. When you go back to school and you have work then you're going to have to get used to not being around Harmony as much as you'd like to. You'll have to learn to give others responsibility for your daughter. If you can't even let me and your father help, then how do you expect to leave her in a nursery?"

The thought hadn't occurred to Blaine that he'd have to give his daughter over to a bunch of strangers eventually.

After that he tried to give Harmony more time with others so she wouldn't become too reliant on him. His father was reluctant at first, he'd not been happy about Blaine keeping the baby, but one look into those big blue eyes, so much like Laura's, and he was in love with the baby. Blaine's mother adored Harmony and was happy to look after her. Blaine's brother, Cooper, even came to visit from where he was living in LA to meet Harmony. Blaine never imagined Cooper would care much for children, but the sight of 'Uncle Coop' cradling Harmony, holding her little hands and tickling her tummy was a sight he'd never forget.

Blaine knew that he needed to get used to this. He was going back to school after summer, a new school, and he'd be working extremely soon. As much as he adored and loved his daughter, he couldn't get too clingy.

Indeed, when he got back to work, he struggled. His colleagues and boss were sympathetic, some even admired him for his dedication and commitment to his child. Harmony was just a month old when he had to return to school and that was even harder than he thought. His only time with his daughter were Saturday mornings, Sundays and the midnight feedings when she woke up crying. Blaine didn't mind his new school. No one knew he was a dad, and he tended to keep his head down and get on with his studies. He didn't join any clubs, didn't try to make any friends, although he did stare enviously whenever the school glee club would do a performance or when the football team would come in on Monday, still celebrating a win the past Saturday. He always felt the pang of envy when he saw friends laughing together or a girl reach for her boyfriend's hand and kiss his knuckles. He wasn't going to have that; high school memories of friends and first loves.

Laura called every so often throughout the year, checking on Blaine and Harmony. She still wasn't ready to see Harmony yet, but she told Blaine that she would soon.

Soon, junior year was over and Harmony's birthday was on the horizon. His baby's first birthday was nearly here. He decided he'd have a small party for her, just him and his family; not that he had any friends to invite. On the day of Harmony's birthday he decorated the dining room with pink banners and shiny balloons that he knew she would love. He woke his daughter with a big kiss to each cheek, her eyes fluttering open to see her daddy, hovering over her.

"Good morning, beautiful," Blaine grinned. "Guess what day it is today?" He paused, as if letting her answer, but the only noise that came from his daughter were a few mumbly sounds. "That's right, baby, it's your first birthday!"

He picked her up and carried her downstairs. He placed her in her high chair and talked to her as he fed her breakfast. His parents came downstairs and gave their granddaughter their own birthday cuddles. Cooper and their grandparents came, clutching presents and birthday cards. Blaine's mother took pictures as Blaine sat Harmony on his lap and helped her to rip open the presents. She squealed in delight at the new colourful toys she received and stroked at the new clothes too.

They'd just finished opening presents when the doorbell rang. Blaine hauled Harmony onto his hip and spoke to her as they walked to answer the door. The person Blaine was least expecting to be standing on the doorstep, holding a parcel wrapped in lilac wrapping paper, was Laura.

"Laura!" Blaine exclaimed, surprised, "I wasn't expecting you."

"I, erm, thought I should at least come and visit for her birthday," Laura replied, her eyes flickering from Blaine to the child in his arms. "If it's inconvenient, I can go?"

"No, it's fine. Come in," Blaine said, stepping back to allow her room to come in. She stepped inside, a shy smile shot in Blaine's direction. "You should probably meet this little one again," he continued. "Meet Harmony Edan Anderson. Harmony, this is... erm..."

"Aunt Laura?" Laura supplied.

Blaine grinned. "This is your Aunt Laura. No relation to Uncle Coop, though!"

Blaine led Laura into the living room and introduced her to those who didn't know her. He once again helped Harmony open Laura's present; a collection of children's books.

"I wasn't sure what to get her," Laura admitted. "I know you loved reading to her before she was born and so I thought you might like these."

"They're perfect," he assured her, his eyes flickering to Harmony who had her chubby fingers spread over the top of the books, fascinated by the colours.

When the family began preparing for lunch, Blaine offered for Laura to hold Harmony whilst he helped. She seemed hesitant at first, unsure she'd be able to do it properly, but Blaine convinced her she'd be okay and she took the child into her arms. When Blaine came back, he found Laura sat grinning at Harmony, who was in her lap holding up some new toys to show her.

"Shall we get the birthday princess her lunch?" Blaine asked as he approached the girls.

"Of course," Laura replied, changing Harmony's position so that she could stand up. "She's so much like you," she commented as they walked to the kitchen.

"You think so?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah. The dark, curly hair, the smile, you can tell she's yours. I think the only feature she didn't inherit from you was the eyes," Laura explained.

"I feel sorry for her," Blaine joked. "Hopefully she'll grow up to look more like you." Laura gave him a sad smile as he placed Harmony in her chair. He allowed other family members to coo over her whilst he sat with Laura.

"How are you, Blaine?" she asked. "How's your job? And your new school? What are your friends like?"

"Work's work, school's school," he replied. "I don't have any friends really; I'm too busy for a social life. Every minute I'm not studying or working, I'm looking after Harmony. During lunch times and free periods I'm normally doing things like sorting finances so that I don't have to do them when I get home."

"Wow, Blaine. How do you cope?" said Laura.

"It's hard," he admitted. "It's hard, but I'm getting through it. I have to. Anyway, how are you? Is school okay?"

"This year hasn't exactly been fantastic," she admitted. "Coach wouldn't let me back on the cheerleading squad after I got pregnant; apparently I'm not trustworthy anymore. My friends stopped speaking to me, I got bullied quite a bit, but it's getting better. I joined glee actually. Everyone's so kind there and they're always there for me. It makes me feel less alone."

"I'm really sorry that happened to you, Laura. You know I'm always here when you need me, right?"

"I couldn't ask to dump my problems on you, Blaine. You have enough on your plate already," Laura insisted.

"I honestly don't mind," Blaine assured her.

The subject was dropped when Harmony started yelling for her father's attention and he concentrated on lunch. He helped Harmony blow out her candle and took pictures as she smeared cake over her face and the high chair table.

After that point, Laura became a regular visitor in the Anderson household, visiting at least once a fortnight. She even heard Harmony say her first word - 'Daddy' - and hugged Blaine as he cried with happiness. Although she gave birth to Harmony, she wasn't treated like her mother. She couldn't be Harmony's mother in the way that Blaine was her father. However, she grew extremely close to Harmony.

Senior year was a stressful one for Blaine. He was getting top grades, despite his family situation, but that didn't meant he could still follow the dreams he'd had before Harmony had come along. He envied those he overheard discussing college applications or what city they were moving to between lessons, but he didn't once wish his situation was different. He'd never change how his life turned out even if he could; if he did, he wouldn't have his beautiful daughter.

So when graduation came around, he found himself a full time job working in a coffee shop. The hours were long, the work boring, but the pay was good and he was saving all he could. From there, he worked his way up as much as he could.

Almost a month after Harmony's fourth birthday, Blaine announced that he was looking at moving out. At 20 years old with a 4 year old daughter, he was seeking independence. He knew he'd have to move out one day, and he couldn't keep relying on his parents. Harmony would be starting school the following year.

His parents helped him search for a home over the next year. It was difficult to find something on a small budget and not too far from work and close to schools, but soon he found a 2 bedroom apartment. It was practically a shoe box, but he didn't need much. It was, after all, just him and his daughter.

"Daddy, why are we going?" Harmony asked on the day they moved out.

"Because, sweetheart, you start school soon and we can't live with grandma and grandpa forever," Blaine tried to explain.

"But I like living with grandma and grandpa," Harmony argued.

"Sorry, but we have to move out soon. We'll still see grandma and grandpa all of the time! I promise!" Blaine assured her.

They moved in over the first week of summer. Blaine had a couple of weeks off so that they could settle in and decorate. Blaine's parents insisted on paying on paint and furniture for their new apartment. They had a lot of fun decorating Harmony's room, making handprints over one wall and painting rainbows. Harmony painted a picture of her and Blaine too, surrounded by hearts. The other walls were painted purple: Harmony's favourite colour.

Then it was Harmony's fifth birthday and Blaine had to hold back his tears when he realised how quickly his little girl was growing up. They ate breakfast in bed as they watched cartoons, they went to the zoo, visited Blaine's parents and Laura and ate pizza for dinner.

Blaine knew that he hadn't done things the right way, the way he'd planned. But he couldn't help but be happy he didn't.


	2. Chapter 2

_**[A/N] Sorry this took so long to get around to. But exams are over so I'll hopefully be able to write a little bit more. I had about 3 ideas for this chapter and how to introduce Kurt, but after reading them all through, this is the one I decided to go with. I hope you enjoy. Also, I've read through this and the previous chapter and corrected any mistakes I could find. If you find any more, be sure to tell me! Thanks for reading/reviewing/favouriting/following and I hope you enjoy!**_

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Blaine loved his job. He really did. The hours were good, the pay was decent and his colleagues were his friends. However, when his boss called in and told him that they were changing his hours, he was distraught.

"Can you believe it, Mel?" he complained to his co-worker and recently found best friend. As soon as she'd began working there, they hit it off right away. At first, Mel had been a little flirty with him, being attracted to Blaine's good looks and natural charm, but then he had explained that he was gay and she had understood. So now they were best friends. Such good friends in fact that she'd babysit Harmony sometimes and Harmony often referred to her as 'Auntie Mel'.

"They're changing my hours! I can't believe they'd do this. My hours were perfect before! They gave me time to drop Harmony off to school in the morning and then pick her up in the afternoon. Now I've had to ask Laura to pick her up from school! And it's going to be a rush to do dinner and make sure Harmony has her homework done and get her ready for bed. I can't believe they'd do this!"

"Don't worry about it, Blaine. You'll figure something out. You could always do dinner in the hours you have off in the morning and put it in the fridge to heat up later. And I know you'll manage to get everything done, because I know you and you're nothing if not dedicated to getting things done! Come on, the later hours mean you'll be getting more money!" Mel argued. "Plus, the customers are always nicer nearer to closing time."

"Well, I guess I'm going to have to get used to it. I can't say I'm too happy though," Blaine huffed.

"Oh, stop your whinging," Mel teased, before gazing over at the register. "Now get me a hot chocolate with whip cream or this customer is going to flip!"

Blaine sighed and did as he was told, thinking about ways he was going to reorganise his schedule to fit his new work hours.

Laura hadn't minded looking after Harmony for a couple of hours after school. In fact, she was quite happy to be spending some time with her 'niece'. Mel was right about his hours in the morning. It would mean he could stop doing the grocery shopping on weekends too, when it was extremely busy and he had a complaining 5 year old who liked to wander off, and start doing them during the week.

The hours seemed longer after Blaine knew he'd usually be home. After 3 o'clock had passed time dragged and he felt a lot more bored than usual, knowing that by now he'd be on his way to pick up Harmony. By 4, Blaine was on auto pilot as he took orders and he made his way to the register without looking up as he swiped his card into the machine and asked for the next customer's order.

"I'll have the usual please," the customer said. Blaine frowned, looking up at the customer in question and his breath caught in his throat.

The man before him was beautiful. It's not a word he'd often use to describe a guy, usually going for hot or gorgeous, but this man was undeniably beautiful. His chestnut hair was swept up in an intricate quiff that looked like it had taken hours to style, his skin was pale and flawless, a slight hint of pink staining his cheeks and the tip of his nose from the cold weather, his lips were pink and perfect, parted slightly. And his eyes. As soon as his eyes raised from where he was looking at his phone and met Blaine's, Blaine swore he forgot how to breath. The swirl of blues and greens and greys drew Blaine in, making him want to never look away.

"I'm sorry," the man uttered, his voice quite high, but melodic and just as beautiful as the rest of him. "You must be new here."

"Actually, I've been here a while," Blaine managed to say. "They've just changed my shift."

The man went to speak when Mel came rushing over from where she'd been clearing a table, dumping the tray she had onto the counter before wrapping her arms around the man.

"Kurt!" she exclaimed. "You're early today!"

"I got out of work earlier," the man - or Kurt, as Mel has called him - explained. "So I thought I'd come get my coffee earlier too."

"Blaine, whip us up a grande non-fat mocha for Kurt?" Mel asked. "Oh, yeah, Kurt this is Blaine. He works here but he usually leaves at 3. His shift got changed. And Blaine this is Kurt. He comes in here everyday about this time."

"It's nice to meet you, Kurt," Blaine said with a smile before preparing Kurt's coffee. Kurt and Mel continued to chat until Blaine put the cup on the counter in front of Kurt and Kurt handed him the money for the coffee in exact change.

"Thanks," Kurt said with a grin before turning to take a seat in an armchair a couple of tables away from the counter. Blaine watched as he left, noticing the way his clothes fit him perfectly, as if tailored to his body, and the way that his body moved so gracefully.

"He's cute, isn't he?" Mel commented, interrupting Blaine's thoughts. Blaine looked over at her and raised his eyebrows.

"Sorry, what?" he asked.

"Kurt. He's cute," Mel clarified.

"I, erm, I guess he's pretty good looking," Blaine stammered, his eyes avoiding Mel's as he continued to wipe down the counter.

"We went to high school together," Mel continued. "He's gay and single."

"Why are you telling me this?" sighed Blaine.

"Because you should ask him out," Mel stated. Blaine looked at her with wide eyes and a furrowed brow. "Oh don't give me that look Blaine. You've not been on a date in ... in fact I don't think you've ever been on a date." Blaine tried to will away the heat that was spreading over his cheeks as she said this, knowing it was true. "See, you should ask him out!"

"I can't just ask him out, Mel. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not exactly a good date. I have a 5 year old at home to look after. No guy wants to date someone with a kid!" Blaine argued in a hushed voice, hoping Kurt couldn't hear him. "And can you imagine how awkward it would be if I asked him and he found out I had a kid and ran? If he comes in here everyday then I can't just hide in the back room until he leaves!"

"Personally, I think you should give it a go," she said. "Kurt's not the kind to judge!"

"I didn't think he'd judge. Just not want to date me," Blaine replied.

"I'm sure you'll come around eventually," Mel whispered with a smirk. Blaine just rolled his eyes at her.

* * *

"So what did you do at Aunt Laura's then?" Blaine asked when he and Harmony had got home that night.

"I did some drawings. I did one of you and me and I did one of all of my family," Harmony replied, eagerly.

"Can I see?" asked Blaine. Harmony immediately ran over to her book bag and pulled out a handful of paper with drawings on. She handed them to Blaine who smiled at them. The one was of her and Blaine holding hands with a title above it reading 'Daddy and Me' in wobbly writing. The other picture was more crowded and showed Harmony, Blaine, Blaine's parents, Blaine's grandparents, Laura, Mel and Cooper, all with the appropriate labels under the title 'My Family' which was printed at the top of the page.

"Daddy, can I ask you something?" Harmony asked when they were eating dinner.

"Sure, princess," Blaine replied.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

Blaine froze for a moment, nearly dropping his fork at the question. "What makes you ask that?"

"Well Auntie Laura has a boyfriend and Uncle Coop has a girlfriend. I thought that grown ups were meant to have boyfriends and girlfriends," she explained.

"Do you remember when we talked about this a couple of months ago?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah, you said that sometimes grown ups become boyfriend and girlfriend because they really like each other and they want to be together. And you said that sometimes boys like boys and sometimes girls like girls, but that's okay because you can like whoever you want," Harmony recited.

"That's right, Harmy," he exclaimed proudly, using the nickname Harmony had claimed at the age of two when she struggled to pronounce her own name. "And daddy is a boy who likes boys."

"Do you have a boyfriend then?" the little girl asked curiously. Blaine just shook his head. "Why not?"

"Because I need to find someone I really like before I can have a boyfriend," Blaine explained. "And he has to like boys too. Anyway, I don't need a boyfriend. I'm too busy loving you!"

Harmony scrunched her nose in delight and placed her fork on her empty plate before standing up to hug her father. "I love you too, daddy," she whispered in his ear, her dark, curly hair tickling Blaine's face.

"Now why don't you go and get ready for bed and I'll read you a story?" Blaine suggested.

"Harry Potter?" asked Harmony. Blaine couldn't help but chuckle. He'd loved the books when he was younger and was delighted when he'd began reading Harmony the first and she'd loved it.

"We'll see," he replied.

Harmony rushed off to her room to get into her pyjamas and Blaine got up to do the dishes. He couldn't help but think about the conversation they'd just had, as well as the one he'd had earlier with Mel. Should he start dating? He was 21, this was the time, right? No, he was way too busy and no one would want to date him when he had a daughter. Besides, Westerville Ohio wasn't necessarily brimming with young single gay men. No, he didn't need to think about dating at the moment. And with that thought he attempted to forget the subject all together.

* * *

Kurt came into the coffee shop where he worked every day, just as Mel had said. Everyday Blaine gave him a nod as Mel served him and Kurt returned a little wiggle of his fingers and a smile. However, Blaine didn't speak to him properly until the Friday of the week after they'd met. Mel was off sick and so when Kurt entered the shop, Blaine went up to the register to serve him.

"Non-fat mocha?" Blaine asked, before Kurt had time to even speak.

"You know my coffee order?" asked Kurt, raising an eyebrow.

Blaine scoffed as if it should be obvious. "Of course I do!" he said. "I've been making it every day at this time for the past week."

"Oh, yeah, of course," Kurt said, bringing the palm of his hand to his temple and tapping it there, as if reminding himself of his forgetfulness. Blaine quickly whipped up Kurt's coffee and placed it in front of him, taking the money from Kurt, which was once again exact change. "Thanks. Is Mel not in today?"

"No, she's sick. She called this morning and she sounded horrible!" Blaine replied.

"Ah, I see," Kurt said.

"You two seem close," Blaine commented.

"You could say that," Kurt responded. "We talk a lot. She's told me all about you!"

"She has?" Blaine asked.

"Only good things," Kurt quickly assured him.

"Glad to hear that."

"And, erm, I was actually kind of wondering. You seem like a really great guy and I wanted to know if you wanted to go out sometime. Like, on a date."

Blaine froze, staring at Kurt to make sure he was serious. "Oh, Kurt, I would love to but -"

"Daddy!" The sound of Harmony's high, excited voice cut Blaine off and caught both of the men's attention. They turned to the door to see Laura, grasping Harmony's hand and looking both angry and out of breath.

"Harmony! Laura, are you okay? Did she do something?" Blaine quickly asked, rushing from behind the counter.

"Blaine! Oh god, no she was an angel as always, but Mark from the office called me and told me all of the computers have shut down and they need me to go in pronto. I couldn't call because you were at work, but I was wondering if she could sit in here for a while. I'm really sorry about this, Blaine," Laura quickly blurted out.

"No, it's fine. Go, they need you. I'll figure something out," Blaine said. "Harmony, what do you say to Aunt Laura?"

"Thank you for having me Aunt Laura," Harmony recited with a smile.

"No problem, sweetie," Laura replied, swooping down to give Harmony a hug and a kiss on the cheek before repeating both actions with Blaine. "I'm so sorry. I'll see you Monday?"

"Monday," Blaine confirmed before Laura rushed back out of the door.

"Right, Harmy, what are we going to do with you huh?" Blaine asked.

"I have my book bag and Aunt Laura gave me some paper and crayons so I can do some drawing," Harmony suggested.

"That sounds good princess, but I don't know where to put you. I can't watch you properly out here because I'm working and I don't want to leave you alone. But I can't put you in the back because there's no room. I just-"

"I'll sit with her," piped up a voice. Blaine turned to see Kurt, still clutching his coffee where Blaine had left him at the counter.

"I... Are you sure?" Blaine asked. Kurt nodded with a smile so Blaine knelt down to be face to face with Harmony.

"Okay, Harmony, this is Kurt. Kurt this is Harmony. Now, daddy has to work for a little bit longer, but are you okay to sit with Kurt for a bit? You can do some drawing still," Blaine asked Harmony.

"Yeah, daddy, that's fine," Harmony assured him.

"Where did you want to sit?" Blaine said, turning to Kurt.

Kurt just nodded to his usual table with the armchairs and lead the way there. Harmony sat opposite Kurt and tipped the contents of her book bag onto the table in front of them.

"I'll get some juice and cookies," Blaine told them. "I'll be right back!" He rushed to behind the counter and got a carton of juice with a straw and two cookies - one for Harmony and one for Kurt. He hurried back to the table and set them down. "Okay, if either of you need me, I'll be at the counter, and if she gets annoying just say so and I'll come and relieve you of her."

"Daddy!" Harmony protested.

Kurt chuckled. "It's fine, I'm sure she won't get annoying. How much for the cookie?"

"Consider it payback for doing me this favour," Blaine replied before kissing his daughter on the cheek and heading back to serve the customers waiting at the counter.

All through the rest of his shift, Blaine cast glances over at the pair sat just a few tables away from the counter, at Kurt's usual table. Sometimes they'd be talking, sometimes Harmony would be colouring and Kurt would be sketching in a little black book and sometimes they'd be sipping at their drinks. Blaine made sure to take over refills every so often when the flow of customers was thinner. Finally, Blaine's shift was over and he quickly removed the uniform apron and rushed over to relieve Kurt of his daughter.

"Right, I'm done for the day! You ready to go, Harmony?" asked Blaine. Harmony stood up and rushed to wrap her arms around her father's waist.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed. "Kurt is so cool. He was drawing too, but really pretty dresses like in those old magazines you have. He told me he does it for his job!"

"Wow, that's super cool!" Blaine agreed, as he began packing away Harmony's things, raising his eyebrows at Kurt who just smiled at him. "Look, thanks ever so much for watching her. I hope she wasn't any trouble."

"Non at all," Kurt replied.

"We have to get going and get this one to bed," Blaine said, tweaking Harmony's nose, "but thanks again. I owe you one."

"Like I say, she was no trouble. Oh and you didn't finish answering me earlier," Kurt reminded him. Blaine raised his eyebrows in confusion and Kurt chuckled. "When I asked if you wanted to go out sometime. On a date."

"You... you still want to go out with me?" Blaine asked, not hiding his shock. "Even with..." he nodded towards Harmony.

"Yeah, I don't see why not. Like I say you seem a nice guy, and although I guess it's a little different... unless you're not actually gay, single and interested and Mel has been lying to me..."

"No, Mel hasn't been lying to you. Although, she never actually told me that she told you those things," Blaine chuckled.

"So..." Kurt prompted and Blaine blinked.

"Oh, right! Erm, yeah, I'd love to!" Blaine replied.

"Great! Can you do tomorrow night?" Kurt asked eagerly.

"I think so," Blaine said, with a smile.

"Awesome! Here!" Kurt took out a pen and grabbed a napkin from the table and quickly scribbled his number down before handing it to Blaine. "Text me when you're definite you can do tomorrow and your address so I can pick you up. About 7 okay?"

"That's great," Blaine confirmed. "I'll see you then."

"I'll see you then," Kurt repeated before Blaine took Harmony's hand and lead her out of the door.

* * *

"Daddy, what was you talking to Kurt about before we left?" Harmony questioned in the car on their way home.

"Kurt asked me if I wanted to go out with him on Saturday," Blaine replied.

"What for?" asked Harmony.

"Because he don't know each other very well and we want to know each other a bit better," said Blaine.

"Can I come?"

"No, princess, we might be out late. Anyway, this is just for grown ups," Blaine responded.

"But I want to get to know Kurt too," Harmony argued. "Anyway where will I go?"

"Maybe one day you can. And I'll ask grandma if you can go to hers."

"Daddy, do you like Kurt?" the little girl muttered from the back seat.

"Why do you ask, Harmy?"

"Because then he can be your boyfriend," Harmony clarified in a tone which suggested it was obvious.

"I don't know yet, Harmony. Let's wait and see."


	3. Chapter 3

"Blaine! Hi, sweetie I was just about to call you," Blaine's mother, Lydia, exclaimed when she picked up the phone.

"Hi, mom," Blaine replied. "Why were you going to call me?"

"Cooper just rang like an hour ago and told me to tell you phone him when you're free. He has some news to tell you," she explained.

"Okay, I'll do that when I get off the phone with you," Blaine said. "Mom, I know this is super short notice, but would you possibly be able to babysit Harmony tomorrow night?"

"Of course I will, honey. Did that restaurant ask you to perform there again?"

"No, erm, actually I have a date," Blaine replied. He waited a few seconds and when his mother didn't reply he said, "Mom? Are you still there?"

"Yeah, sorry. Just... wow, a date. Who with?"

"His name is Kurt. He's a friend of Mel's, they went to high school together, and he comes by the coffee shop every day," Blaine explained.

"And does he know about Harmony?" Lydia asked.

"Yeah, actually Laura got called into work early yesterday so she had to drop Harmony off at the coffee shop. Kurt had just asked me out when she came in and then he offered to sit with her, and then he asked me out after. I gave him a chance to back out, but he didn't," Blaine explained.

"I'm happy for you," his mom stated. "I thought with Harmony you wouldn't open yourself up to dating, but I'm glad that you are. I know you have good friends and family and people that love you, but I'm sure you get lonely and even if this guy doesn't work out, I hope you can find someone."

"I... thanks mom. I love you," Blaine replied.

"I love you too, sweetie. And send my love to Harmony. What time do you want me to pick her up tomorrow?" Lydia questioned.

"Could you pick her up around half 6? Kurt said he'd come get me at 7 and I need time to prepare myself I guess," Blaine answered.

"Okay, I'll see you then. Now go and call Coop!"

Blaine chuckled. "Okay, mom. See you tomorrow!" With that he hung up. He stared at his phone for a moment before opening a new message.

**To Kurt**

**From Blaine**

**hey kurt, i can definitely do tomorrow night, unless u want to back out. id totally understand ~ Blaine**

He sent the message, and then quickly dialed his brothers number.

"Blainey!" Cooper answered.

"Coop, what have I told you about calling me that?" Blaine complained, but he couldn't help but smile at the nickname Cooper had given him as a child.

"Sorry, bro. I suppose you talked to mom then," Cooper said.

"Yeah, apparently you have big news. Spill!" Blaine demanded.

"Well, Lara and I are getting married!" Cooper answered.

"Woah, congratulations, man," Blaine said, excitedly.

"Thanks. We also wanted to know if Harmony would be our flower girl," his brother said.

"Coop, I'm sure she'd love to be flower girl. When's the wedding going to be? And where is it going to be?" Blaine questioned.

"Well, Lara and I have both talked and we decided we want to get married in Ohio, as that's where we were both born and raised. Also it will be much cheaper which means we'd have more money to go towards the honeymoon. And we thought of having it in March," Cooper answered.

"March? You do realise that it's January now, right?" Blaine said.

"Yeah, I know, but we've kind of been planning for a while, even though I only got around to actually asking her last night. We're going to come and stay with mom for a while and whilst we're there all we need to do is sort out all of the outfits, the catering and the honeymoon. We have a venue and we've done the invitations, we've decided what colours we want and Lara's mom is going to sort out decorating the venue. Dad said he'd talk to a friend of his about getting a few wedding cars too. So we're pretty much planned," Cooper replied.

"Wow, I'm sure it's going to be great Coop. I can't wait," Blaine said.

"And I wanted to ask you something else," Cooper added.

"Go on," Blaine prompted.

"I want you to be my best man," the elder Anderson brother stated.

"Cooper.. you..." Blaine paused, taking in the information. He felt tears stinging his eyes. "Really?"

"Of course, baby brother," Cooper replied with a chuckle. "I'm so proud of you, bro. I mean, seeing how great you've been with Harmony, and how you've given up so much to look after her. I know that if it were me, I couldn't have done that. I'm going to go all soppy on you now and say that you inspire me. You make me want to be better, man. Even if we don't see each other as much as we'd like, you're my brother and I wouldn't want anyone else to be my best man."

"Cooper, you're going to turn me into a blubbering mess," Blaine complained, wiping at his eyes.

"Well, a yes or no would be nice," Cooper prompted.

"Yes, of course I will," Blaine replied.

"Daddy, why are you crying?" Blaine looked up to see Harmony was standing in front of him, a worried expression on her face.

"Uncle Coop just made me happy, princess," Blaine explained.

"Is that Uncle Coop? Can I speak to him?" Harmony asked excitedly.

"Hang on a second," Blaine said to her and then raised the phone speaker up to his ear. "Hey, Cooper, there's a little girl here who's dying to speak to you."

"Well, don't keep her waiting, put her on," Cooper chuckled.

Blaine handed the phone to Harmony and watched and listened as she spoke to her uncle.

"Hi Uncle Coop! ... Yeah I'm always a good girl for daddy ... What is it? ... Wow, you're getting married? ... Do I get to wear a pretty dress? ... I can't wait! ... Are you going to be at Grandma and Grandpa's tomorrow? ... I'm going there because daddy has a date." Blaine immediately blushed as Harmony said this. Why did she have to tell Cooper? "... Yeah, he said that he's going out with Kurt and they're going to get to know each other because they don't really know each other very well at the moment... Okay, I'll put daddy back on, can I speak to you again soon? ... Okay love you Uncle Coop, bye!" Harmony held out the phone for her dad and Blaine gave her a grin as he took it back from her.

"Hey, Coop."

"Why did you neglect telling me that you have a date tomorrow?" Cooper demanded.

"Because it's not something to just bring up. Plus, you've just sprung some major news on me, I can't ruin the fun," Blaine excused.

"What's more fun than my little bro finally getting laid?" Cooper chuckled. Blaine blushed even more and glanced over at Harmony, who had plonked herself down at the dinner table to finish colouring.

"Coop!" Blaine scolded. "It's just one little date, it probably won't lead to anything. Especially not that!"

"At least this time nobody can get pregnant, right?" Cooper joked.

"Oh shut up," Blaine growled, but he couldn't stop his smile.

"Well, I want you to call me on Sunday and tell me how it went. Unless Harmony's with you and it's too inappropriate to talk about in front of her," Cooper suggested.

"Whatever. I'll talk to you Sunday, Coop," said Blaine.

"You'd better! Later bro!" And with that they hung up, Blaine with a huge grin on his face.

He looked down at his phone and noticed a new message. He opened it, nervously, hoping it wasn't Kurt cancelling.

**To Blaine**

**From Kurt**

**Hi, Blaine! Glad to finally have your number. I'm looking forward to tomorrow night. Text me your address and I'll see you at 7! - Kurt x**

Blaine's grin grew even wider as he typed his address in.

* * *

The next night, Blaine was beginning to panic. It was 5 PM and he was furiously trying to style his hair, which was not agreeing with him. Harmony was sat on his bed, dangling her legs over the side and she watched him struggle. She frowned and said, "Daddy, why don't you have your hair curly tonight?"

Blaine turned to look at his daughter. "Harmy, my hair doesn't look as good as yours curly, remember? Mine looks like a poodle!"

Harmony giggled and then stood up from the bed. She walked over to the mirror her dad was sat at and picked up a bottle. "Isn't this what Aunt Mel gave you to make your hair not poodley. Why don't you try this daddy?"

"I'll give it a go, princess!" Harmony jumped back onto the bed whilst Blaine rushed to the bathroom to wash his gel out. When he got back he sprayed the product on his hair and rubbed it in, just as it had said on the bottle. He then blow dried his hair, and was delighted when his curls went sleek and didn't poof up like usual. He grinned at his own appearance, before rushing to his wardrobe and pulling out the clothes he'd already prepared for the night. He went back to the bathroom and changed and then came out to show Harmony.

"How do I look, Harmony?" he asked.

Harmony looked up from the doll she had been playing with to look at her father. Her gaze roamed up and down his attire and she rubbed her chin and squinted her eyes as if she was thinking really hard.

"I think that you look very handsome," she finally concluded.

"Why thank you. Are you all packed for grandma and grandpa's?" he asked her.

"Yes. I've got my toothbrush, my clothes for tomorrow, my pyjamas, my underwear, my toys and my hairbrush," she listed.

"Have you got Flopsy?" Blaine asked, knowing she'd never be able to sleep without her toy rabbit. Harmony's eyes widened and she suddenly rushed out of the room to pack it. Blaine chuckled.

The doorbell went 5 minutes later and Blaine rushed to answer.

"Mom!" he greeted, immediately pulling his mother into a hug.

"Oh, Blaine," Lydia sighed, embracing her son. She pulled back to inspect what he was wearing. "You look so handsome!"

"Thanks, mom. I wasn't sure if Harmony was just being nice," Blaine chuckled.

"GRANDMA!" came a cry from behind him and soon Lydia had her arms full of her granddaughter.

"Harmony, how are you, sweetie? Have you grown again?" Lydia asked, knowing that Harmony liked it when she was made to feel tall, being one of the shortest in her class.

"No, grandma, I measured myself just last week," Harmony giggled.

"Well, you feel much taller to me," Lydia said with a grin. "Go and get your things then so we can go back to mine!"

Harmony rushed off to get her bag and Lydia smiled at her son. "Are you nervous?"

"Extremely," Blaine admitted.

"Don't worry about it, you're going to be fine. Just be yourself," Lydia advised. Harmony came running back in, clutching her Hello Kitty over night bag. "Looks like we're all ready to head off then. Say goodbye to your dad, Harmy," Lydia said, taking the bag from her.

Blaine knelt down so that Harmony could give him a kiss and a hug goodbye. "Be good for grandma and grandpa, okay? Remember your manners and do what they tell you."

"I will, daddy. Have lots of fun with Kurt," Harmony said.

"Love you, princess," Blaine said, kissing her cheek.

"Love you too, daddy," she replied. "I'll see you tomorrow."

And with that Lydia and Harmony left, leaving Blaine on his own to finish getting ready.

* * *

The doorbell rang again at 7 on the dot. Blaine had been ready for the last 10 minutes and he'd been sat on the couch, phone in hand, waiting. His shoes were on and his keys and wallet were already in his pocket. When the doorbell rang, his breath caught in anxiousness, but he knew he had to do this. He wanted to do this. He walked the few short steps to the door and opened it, to be greeted by Kurt.

Once again, the only word Blaine could find to describe Kurt was beautiful. His hair was once again in a stylish quiff, but now he wore fitted slacks, a purple dress shirt and a black jacket. The clothes emphasised the natural shape of his body, which had Blaine nearly drooling at his trim waist and broad shoulders.

"Hi!" Kurt greeted, cheerfully.

"Erm, hi," Blaine stammered. "You, erm, you look really good." He blushed as he heard how pathetic it had sounded, compared to in his head.

But Kurt smiled and said, "Thank you. You look really good too. Are you ready to go?"

Blaine nodded and locked up, before nervously returning Kurt's grin and following him to his car.

As Kurt started driving, he said "You seem nervous."

"I, erm, kind of am," Blaine admitted.

"Why?" asked Kurt.

"You have to promise not to laugh at me for this," Blaine warned.

"I promise."

"This is kind of my first date," Blaine confessed.

"Oh, well, that's alright. I see why you're nervous. But don't worry about it. You have nothing to be nervous about," Kurt assured him.

"I'm just worried I'll screw up." Blaine looked straight ahead as they pulled up at a red light. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a hand on his own. He looked over to see Kurt giving him a soft smile.

"You're not going to screw up." And then Kurt's hand was gone and he was looking at the road as the light turned green.

"So where are we going?" asked Blaine.

"It's this little Italian restaurant, not far away. I figured that everyone likes some sort of Italian food. But if you don't we can go somewhere else," Kurt replied.

"No, that sounds good. Molto bello!" Blaine assured him.

Kurt raised his eyebrows and asked, "You speak Italian?"

Blaine blushed. "No, erm, my brother taught me that when I was 12 to pick up girls. I never actually got the chance to use it."

Kurt let out a laugh, a high melodic laugh that made Blaine's knees feel slightly weaker. "Well, you may use it on me as many times as you like."

The rest of the drive was filled with light conversation and music. When they arrived at the restaurant, Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand and pulled him inside. The last time he'd held hands with someone his age was when Laura was giving birth and she'd squeezed his hand so hard he was surprised it hadn't fell off. Blaine took the time to admire the way Kurt's hand felt in his. He barely even noticed that Kurt had already spoken to a waiter who led them to their table. He reluctantly let go of Kurt's hand to take a seat.

The waiter took their order for drinks and they both looked over the menu to decide what to have. Blaine decided on a chicken tagliatelle dish and Kurt decided to have vegetable ravioli. Once they'd placed their orders, Kurt turned to Blaine with a smile.

"So, tell me about yourself Blaine," Kurt requested.

"What has Mel already told you?"

"That you're 21, you like music and you're single. And that's about it. I want to know more," Kurt said.

"Well, there's not that much more to tell. I'm not very interesting. But yes, I'm 21 and I do love music. And I work at the coffee shop, as you know, and I have a daughter, as you know. I like fashion, not as much as I used to, but I still read Vogue when I get the time. I'm more of an admirer though, I don't really have the time or money to be that fashionable. I like singing, reading. Okay, yeah, I'm not very interesting," Blaine listed.

"You sound interesting. And I like singing too. I was in glee club in high school. I was going to go into musical theatre but I decided to stick with fashion," Kurt informed him.

"Oh yeah, you design dresses?"

"Actually I work for a bridal shop in Westerville. It used to sell dresses off the rack, but they got a lot of people asking for custom made dresses and when I said in my interview that I liked to design, they asked if I'd like to be their dress designer. So women come to me and they tell me how they want their wedding dress made and I draw a design and if they like it then I make it. I usually have help for that bit, but I'm a bit of a control freak and like to do as much as I can myself," Kurt explained.

"That sounds really cool," Blaine said. "Do you enjoy it?"

"It's the best job I could ask for. I get to do what I love," Kurt said, with a grin.

The conversation flowed easily. Kurt and Blaine had so much in common, from their musical tastes to their to their favourite films. Blaine had never met any one he could relate to so easily.

At the end of the night, Kurt insisted on getting the check and drove Blaine home, chatting and laughing with him along the way. When they got back to Blaine's, he unlocked the door and stood in the door frame awkwardly, not sure what to say.

"Did you want to come in for a drink?" asked Blaine. He honestly didn't want to say goodbye yet; he was having way too much fun with Kurt.

"Sure, I'd love to," Kurt said. Blaine opened the door wider to allow Kurt in. He gestured to the couch and Kurt took a seat, crossing his legs over one another.

"What would like? I don't have anything alcoholic, but I have soda," Blaine said.

"Just water will be fine," Kurt insisted, with a smile. Blaine headed into the kitchen to get them both drinks, and when he came back Kurt was stood by the wall, gazing at the photos hung there. More specifically, he was looking at a picture of Blaine and Harmony on the day she was born. Blaine was cradling the little girl in his arms and looking down with such a loving expression.

"That's when she was first born," Blaine said, startling Kurt a little. "I'm sorry, I thought you knew I was here."

"It's okay, I'm sorry I was being nosy," Kurt apologised.

"I don't mind," Blaine said. He took a seat on the couch and Kurt followed by sitting next to him. "You know you can ask me about her."

"I didn't want to seem snoopy, but I have to say I am curious about how a 21 year old gay man has a 5 year old daughter," Kurt confessed.

"Well, it's kind of a long story," Blaine said.

"I have time," Kurt replied.

And so Blaine told him the story of how Harmony came to be born. He told him of all of the dreams he had given up for Harmony, but he also told him about how he didn't regret a thing.

"Wow," Kurt said, when Blaine stopped talking.

"Yeah," Blaine sighed.

"That's just... wow," Kurt repeated. "You know you have to be pretty brave to do that. Give up your whole life."

"If I'd given her up, I would have given up my whole life. The way I see it, it was a worthy sacrifice," Blaine explained, a smile still on his face.

"Well I'm certainly impressed. And she seems like a very sweet girl," Kurt said.

"Yeah, she is. I've tried to raise her properly," Blaine replied.

Kurt glanced up at the clock on the wall and his eyes widened at the time. "Woah, it's pretty late. I have to get up for work in the morning," Kurt stated, standing up.

"I'm sorry to have kept you," Blaine apologised.

"No, don't apologise, I've had a really good time with you," Kurt said.

"You have?" asked Blaine.

"Yeah, you're a really great guy and this has probably been the best date I've ever been on. I mean, I don't think I've met anyone who I've been able to get along so well with and had so much in common with," Kurt explained.

"I've had a great time too," Blaine said with a grin.

"That's great! So you'll go out again sometime?" Kurt asked, hopefully.

"You want to go out with me again?" Blaine questioned.

"Do you not want to?"

"Of course I do. I just didn't think you'd want more than one date with me," Blaine admitted.

"Blaine, you're a really nice guy and you're really smart and funny and sweet. Of course I want to go out with you again," Kurt sighed.

"Great. I'd love to!"

"I'll see you at the coffee shop on Monday, right? And I can text you too," Kurt suggested.

"Yeah, please do. And text me when you get home? So I know you got back okay?"

"Okay," Kurt agreed. And before Blaine knew it, Kurt's arms were wrapped around his neck and he was being pulled into a tight hug. As he was leaning back, Kurt dropped a short kiss onto Blaine's cheek and whispered "Goodnight" into his ear.

"Goodnight," Blaine repeated. With that, and a quick wave, Kurt took off in the direction of his car.

That night Blaine waited up for Kurt to text him to make sure he got home okay, and then fell asleep with a big smile on his face.


	4. Chapter 4

_**[A/N] So, this story seems to be coming to me better now and I have some plans so I hope you're liking it because I'm enjoying writing it. I once again haven't had time to read over for spelling mistakes and grammar mistakes, so please be sure to tell me via review or PM if there's anything big. I like to just get things posted because if I read over them then I worry they're not good enough and I'd probably end up never posting anything. So yeah, here's chapter 4, I hope you like! And be sure to leave feedback as feedback is like a drug to me and without it I may go insane. Thank you!**_

* * *

Blaine could not stop smiling. He couldn't stop smiling when he woke up on Sunday morning. He couldn't stop smiling when he went to pick Harmony up from his parents' house. He couldn't stop smiling as he went over every single detail of his date over the phone to Cooper and then to Mel. He couldn't stop smiling when he went into work. And he certainly couldn't stop smiling when, at 4 o'clock, he heard a voice say "I'll have my usual."

Blaine looked up from the cash register to see Kurt, a grin on his face, holding out his money. He took the money out of Kurt's hand, allowing their skin to brush, and set to work making Kurt his grande non-fat mocha. He finally handed it over and Kurt looked behind him to make sure that there were no more waiting customers.

"Thank you. Say, I don't suppose you have a break any time soon. I wanted to talk," Kurt said.

"Mel's still sick, so she's not in, but I can ask Lucy who's covering for her to take over for 10 minutes?" Blaine suggested.

"Sounds good," said Kurt, and sauntered off to his usual spot. Blaine quickly found Lucy and explained the situation, and Lucy just gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder and told him to 'go get him'.

Blaine took a seat opposite Kurt, who was sipping his coffee, and crossed his legs at the ankles. "Hey," he muttered.

Kurt glanced over at Blaine and swallowed his mouthful of coffee. "Hi."

"What did you want to talk about?" asked Blaine.

"Well, I first wanted to tell you that I had a really good time on Saturday," Kurt started.

"Me too," Blaine affirmed.

"And that I'd really like to go out with you again," Kurt continued.

"Me too," Blaine repeated.

"And that I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me this Saturday," Kurt finished.

"I would love that," Blaine assured him. "But I also wanted to talk about something else, before we went out again."

"Go on," Kurt prompted.

"What do you want out of this?" Blaine asked. Kurt raised his eyebrows in a questioning glance, so Blaine specified. "I mean, out of us. Us going on dates. Did you want a relationship, or were just looking for a bit of fun?

Kurt tilted his head slightly in thought for a moment. "Look, Blaine, I'm not really the kind of guy who throws himself around. If I go out with someone it has to be because I really like them and want to be with them. And you're the first guy I've gone out with who I haven't actually known properly before the asking them on a date. If I knew that I didn't want to get to know you more and I didn't want to try and pursue a relationship with you then I wouldn't have asked you to go out again." He paused a moment, as if collecting his thoughts before continuing. "I'm a hopeless romantic. I'm not looking for some one to sleep with or just a temporary bit of fun. I'm looking for love and a permanent relationship. And I'm sorry if that's a bit much to lay on you now, but that's what I want." With that, Kurt looked down into his coffee, avoiding Blaine's eyes.

Blaine reached across the table and laid his hand over Kurt's, causing Kurt to look up. "Kurt," he whispered. "It's not too much, trust me. That's exactly what I wanted to hear. I just wanted to know because I can't really do casual relationships. I've not just got me to think about, I have my daughter. And I don't want to start something with you if you're not looking for a relationship. I can't do that to me or to her."

"So what did you want to do?" asked Kurt.

"I want to go out with you again. I want to get to know you more, and I want us to both be sure before we do anything. If everything works out, I'd like to be your boyfriend. If that's what you want too," Blaine suggested.

"That is what I want," Kurt confirmed. "But you're right about us needing to make sure it's what we want first. So, how about this. We set ourselves a time slot and during that time slot we go on some more dates, get to know each other more and then at the end we sit down and talk about what we both want and go from there."

"That sounds perfect." His eyes looked down at the table for a second before looking up. "But, I should also probably say this now. Harmony is the most important thing in my life. I really like you, Kurt, and I really hope that this works out, but I've got to tell you now that if Harmony doesn't want me to date you then I can't. I don't think she won't, but I thought you should know. And you should know that if you date me, you get the whole package. If you date me, you'll be as much a part of Harmony's life as mine. So if you're not ready for settling down or kids or any of that, then you should probably say so now. I know it's a lot and you're young and this is all fast, but I can't let her get hurt because she grows attached to you and then you suddenly decide you can't do this."

"I completely understand that. And I am ready, trust me. I've always wanted kids, and the reason I've never had a serious boyfriend before is because non of them wanted what I want. They've never wanted to settle down and have kids and be a family," Kurt explained. "I want that. I want someone to come home to. I want family days out and to have my parents over for dinner and for my dad to have someone to spoil rotten. I don't want to come and play house for a bit with you and then leave."

"I really hope that this works out," Blaine said, giving Kurt's hand a squeeze. "Look, I'd better get back to work, but how about I make you dinner on Friday and we can talk some more."

"That sounds perfect," Kurt replied.

"Great. Be at mine for 7?" Blaine instructed.

"Perfect. And I'll see you tomorrow, around 4," Kurt said.

"See you," Blaine repeated, and with one last squeeze of his hand, Blaine got up to get back to work.

* * *

The week seemed to be going extremely slow after that. Blaine managed to see Kurt for a couple of minutes each day, but it wasn't enough. When he finally finished work on Friday, Blaine rushed home to get ready. He'd talked to Laura and explained about Kurt and Laura had suggested that Harmony stay at hers for the night to save Blaine from picking her up and dropping her at his parents' house. When he got home he began cooking the dinner he'd prepared that morning, showered and changed and did his hair all as fast as he could. .

When Kurt knocked on the door to his apartment and he opened it, Blaine was once again left breathless. He'd been sure to tell Kurt to dress more casually, but Kurt still managed to look like a supermodel. He wore tight - _tight _- black jeans, a crisp blue shirt, a black tie and a dark blue sweater. The outfit not only emphasised his perfect pale skin and the shape of his body, but also brought out the beautiful blues in his eyes, that were usually blended with the greens and greys around them.

"You look perfect," Blaine sighed, then blushed as soon as he realised he'd spoken out loud.

Kurt chuckled and reached up to tweak the corner of the collar on Blaine's polo shirt. "You look perfect too. Something smells good."

"Thanks," Blaine said. "Come on in." Blaine opened the door wider and gestured for Kurt to enter. The apartment looked different to last time he'd been here. Blaine had tidied a lot and moved some furniture around. The dinner table was moved away from the wall and he'd set it up with a table cloth an tea candles. The curtain rail had been lined with the fairy lights from Harmony's room, giving the whole room a slight glow and creating a more romantic atmosphere.

"This is amazing," Kurt commented, toeing off his shoes near the door.

"I thought it might be a bit nicer than how my apartment usually looks," Blaine chuckled. "Have a seat. Would you like a drink? I don't drink alcohol, but I got a bottle of wine if you'd like some."

"That sounds good, thank you," Kurt replied. Blaine hurried off to the kitchen and returned with a glass on wine and a glass of soda. He then announced that dinner was done and that he's be two more seconds before hurrying off to serve it. He came back shortly with two plates and set them down on the table.

"I thought maybe I'd stick with the Italian theme and made lasagne. You do like it, don't you?" Blaine asked, biting his lip nervously as he took a seat opposite Kurt.

"I love it," Kurt assured him, picking up his fork to begin eating. "So, shall we talk about what we're doing now?"

"We may as well get it over and done with," Blaine said. "I've been thinking. How about we make the time slot one month from now. So February 18th?"

"That seems fair," Kurt said. "And that's a Monday, so we could have our last date before the time is up on the 16th or the 17th and then I could meet you after work to discuss what we're going to do."

"That sounds perfect," Blaine replied. "And what are we going to discuss?"

"Well, first of all, whether we want to continue dating. Then we'll talk about how we're going to do everything. I know you don't want me to meet Harmony properly yet and I understand, but I honestly can't wait to spend some time with both of you. So maybe we can talk about that then." Kurt finished by taking a bite of lasagne.

"Yeah. Okay, that sounds good," Blaine said. "This is easier than I thought it would be."

"I think so too," Kurt chuckled. "I think I should say now, Blaine, that I really like you and I really really hope that this works out between us."

"I hope so too," Blaine replied with a smile.

After that their talk was more casual. The told each other about their weeks. Kurt talked about an awkward customer who had not liked any of his suggestions and Blaine talked about a woman who had insisted her coffee be a certain temperature before she drank it. Kurt talked about his dad's new addiction to teleshopping and how he was attempting to put a stop to it and Blaine talked about how Cooper and Lara were moving in with his parents the following week up until he got married. It was nice to have someone to talk to like that. Blaine had visions of maybe a year from now, when he would come home from work and have dinner with Kurt and Harmony and talk about their day, but he didn't voice this picture as he thought it might be too soon. After all, they had only been on one date and had barely known each other a fortnight.

Following dinner, they sat on the couch, sharing a cheese cake and continued talking for hours. Kurt began getting a little giggly after two thirds of the bottle of wine and Blaine found it absolutely adorable. Before they knew it, it was the early hours of the morning and Kurt decided it was probably time to get home, until he realised he'd been drinking.

"Shit, I completely forgot. Why did I buy wine?" Blaine groaned.

"No, it's my fault too," Kurt assured him. "I accepted the wine didn't I? I'll just take a cab and come and get my car in the morning."

"I can drive you home, if you want," Blaine offered.

"No, don't worry. It's late and I believe you have a little girl to pick up in the morning so you should probably get some sleep. I'll call a cab now," Kurt insisted.

Kurt and Blaine continued to talk until the cab came. Blaine walked Kurt to the door and wrapped his arms around the man, hugging him tightly. "Thank you for coming over tonight," he whispered into his ear.

"Thank you for cooking me dinner. I've had a great time and I can't wait to see you again," Kurt replied.

"Text me when you get home?" Blaine asked.

Kurt chuckled, sending puffs of warm air into Blaine's neck. "Of course."

And with that, Kurt unraveled himself from Blaine and walked towards the cab, stopping to wave before he got in.

* * *

The next day Blaine rang Laura's doorbell with a huge smile still on his face. He was a little disappointed as when he'd woken up, Kurt's car was already gone, but that didn't stop his smile from the night before. Laura answered and immediately wrapped Blaine up in a huge hug.

"Wow, Blaine, you're practically glowing," Laura commented as soon as she pulled away. "Did you sleep with him?"

"What? No!" Blaine spluttered, and was immediately saved by Harmony who came rushing out of the living room and squeezed Blaine around the waist.

"Daddy, I missed you!" she exclaimed. Blaine chuckled and unwrapped her arms so that he could bend down and hug her properly.

"I missed you too, baby. But to make up for it, me and you are going to have a special daddy/daughter day. We can bake some cookies for grandma and grandpa if you like," Blaine suggested.

"I would," Harmony agreed. Blaine gave her a kiss on the cheek before standing and tapping her back.

"Go and get your things so I can talk to your Aunt Laura," he instructed, and so Harmony rushed off to the guest room to pack. Blaine turned back to Laura. "Thanks so much for looking after her. It means a lot."

"Don't mention it," Laura insisted. "I told you I'll babysit when you need me, and you're probably going to need me a whole lot more now that you're dating."

"I have my mom and dad to babysit, I can't leave Harmony with you too much. And anyway, let's not get too excited, okay? We've only been on two dates," Blaine sighed.

"Yeah, but look how happy you are just from two dates. You like this guy and he seems to like you and I'm sure you're going to date for a long time," Laura concluded. "And from the size of that smile, I'd say he's at least a good kisser."

"I wouldn't erm know. We haven't kissed yet," Blaine confessed.

"You haven't?" asked Laura. Blaine shook his head. "Wow this guy must be really something if you have a smile like that and you haven't even _kissed_."

"We're taking it slow. Remember, I'm not very experienced," mumbled Blaine.

Laura reached up and squeezed his shoulder. "Remember what I always used to say. You're going to be a great boyfriend one day, and Kurt will be lucky to have you."

"Thanks, Laur," Blaine said, reaching out to hug Laura once more. "And thanks for being such a good friend to me. I honestly don't know what we'd have done without you in our lives."

"Well, I'm glad to have you guys in my life," Laura chuckled holding Blaine tightly.

"Daddy, I have my things," Harmony interrupted.

"Okay, princess, let's go have our daddy/daughter day! What do you say to Aunt Laura?"

"Thank you for having me, Aunt Laura," Harmony recited and ran to give Laura a hug and a kiss.

"It was my pleasure, sweetheart. See you on Monday," Laura said. She saw them out giving them a wave as they drove away.

The rest of the day was dedicated to spending some time with Harmony. As promised, they made cookies using a heart shape cutter and put on Harmony's favourite Disney CD whilst they waited for them to bake, singing along loudly and dancing around the apartment. When the cookies had finished, Blaine put a few in Tupperware boxes to take to his parents' house the next day and the others they nibbled on as they watched Tangled. When it was late, they got into their pyjamas and cuddled on the couch until it was time for Harmony to go to bed.

"Daddy, can you tell me a story?" Harmony asked once she'd settled under her duvet.

"Sure, princess, did you want me to read you a chapter of Harry Potter?" Blaine suggested.

"No, I want you to tell me one of your stories. About a prince," Harmony said eagerly.

"Okay then. Once upon a time, there was a very brave, handsome prince, who lived in a magical kingdom far away. The prince had a lot of responsibilities and would one day become king of the whole kingdom, but first he had to get married. The king and queen suggested he held a grand ball to find someone and so they set up a huge party in the castle. The prince came down, looking as handsome as ever in his suit and went to find the love of his life. He danced with many people, but didn't feel a thing, until he looked to the top of the grand staircase and saw a new guest. She had -"

"He," Harmony interrupted.

"What?" Blaine asked.

"I want the prince to meet a prince," Harmony explained. "Because you said boys can love boys."

Blaine couldn't help but smile at Harmony's suggestion and so corrected himself. "He had beautiful blue eyes and perfect brown hair and wore the most amazing suit designed by the kingdom's best tailor. The prince was instantly in love and had to meet the man he saw before him. So he climbed the stairs, two at a time and introduced himself to the man and asked him to dance. They danced all night, until the party was finished and only then did the prince kiss the beautiful man. They fell in love and married almost immediately and they lived happily ever after. That alright?"

Blaine watched Harmony as she nodded, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "That was a good story, daddy. I can't wait for you to marry your prince." Blaine chuckled.

"Maybe one day, princess. Now, you go to sleep, alright? I love you."

"I love you too," Harmony whispered, before closing her eyes and snuggling further into her pillow.

Blaine dropped another kiss onto her forehead and wandered out of her room, switching off the light on the way out, and made his way into the living room. He dropped down onto the couch and switched on the TV, but instead of watching it, he thought of what Harmony had said. He'd never thought he'd get married, but after everything that was going on with Kurt, he decided nothing was impossible.

When he went to sleep that night, Blaine dreamed of marrying his prince.


	5. Chapter 5

Blaine's week was busy. He'd not only been working as often as he could to help save up money he needed for his dates with Kurt, but he was also helping Harmony with her school project, which involved a lot of writing, colouring, drawing and sticking. As well as that he was helping Cooper and Lara, who were due to fly in on Thursday, by scoping out all of the best wedding shops so that they could get stuck in straight away to prepare for the wedding. Blaine could not wait until Saturday; his date night with Kurt. They'd agreed to go to the movies to see a film that Kurt had raved about and Blaine had thought sounded great. He was excited. He hadn't been to the cinema to see a film that wasn't a children's film - though he wasn't complaining about the choice of movie - and where he wasn't surrounded by fidgeting children in years.

Cooper arrived Thursday and Blaine and Harmony went to pick them up from the airport. Harmony gripped her father's hand, excitedly clutching the card she'd drawn for Cooper and Lara in her hand, as they waited in arrivals. As soon as Blaine spotted the familiar grin of his brother he ran over, bringing Harmony with him, and launched himself into his arms.

"Coop, I'm so glad to see you," he muttered into his brother's shoulder as they embraced tightly.

"You too, little bro. You look good," Cooper replied, leaning back to look at Blaine properly and giving him a hearty pat on the shoulder. He then looked around Blaine to see Harmony waiting, bouncing on the spot in excitement. "And there's my favourite niece in the whole wide world!" Cooper scooped Harmony up, lifting her into the air as he hugged her tightly.

"Uncle Coop!" Harmony giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck. Cooper placed her down on the ground and both Blaine and Harmony greeted Lara much the same, with tight hugs and smiles. Harmony presented the couple with the card which read 'Congratchulashuns on geting ingaged!' Underneath was a drawing of Cooper in a suit and Lara in a dress, both with huge grins and holding hands.

"I did the spelling all on my own, Dad didn't help me one bit!" Harmony announced proudly.

"Wow," Lara gasped. "This is the best card I have ever seen. I think this will go straight on the mantle piece, right Coop?"

"Definitely," Cooper agreed. "Everyone is going to be so jealous when they see how talented my niece is."

This made Harmony smile even wider, looking up at Blaine to check that he was just as proud of her as she was. Of course, Blaine was always proud.

They drove over to their parents house, Cooper catching them up on everything that had been happening at home and Harmony telling the couple everything she'd learnt recently and about the drawings she'd done the other day that Blaine had put on the fridge. At their parent's house, they were all greeted with hugs and offers of drinks and biscuits. Of course, Harmony got even more excited about the idea of treats and dug right into a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Blaine frowned, worried she'd spoil her dinner, but allowed her to continue as he knew it was a special occasion of sorts.

Conversation soon moved onto wedding talk, as Lara spoke of all the ideas she had for her dresses. "I want to bridesmaids to wear dark blue and my maid of honour and Harmony to wear light blue. I've found a place that does amazing bridesmaid dresses, I was thinking of going there with my bridesmaids and Harmony when the boys are out getting their suits. And then all I have to do is find a wedding dress. I know at short notice it might be difficult, but I'm sure I'll find one I love!" Lara said.

"Woy downt chu gut kut ta do et," Harmony said around a mouthful of cookies.

"Harmy, you need to swallow before speaking sweetheart," Blaine reminded her.

Harmony chewed on her cookies before swallowing and trying again. "Why don't you get Kurt to do it?" she repeated.

"What?" asked Blaine, blushing slightly at the mention of Kurt.

"Kurt draws all those pretty dresses in the book. Didn't you say they're for when people get married? You can ask Kurt to make Aunt Lara a dress for when she gets married," Harmony explained.

"I... I never thought of that," Blaine admitted. He looked up at Lara, who was smiling at him. "I could ask him if you'd like?"

Lara nodded with a grin. "That would be awesome! It would save a lot of time," she confirmed.

"Wait two seconds, I'll call him," Blaine said. He pulled his phone from his pocket and found Kurt's number, before pressing call and holding the phone up to his ear. Kurt answered on the second ring.

"Hey, Blaine, I wasn't expecting to talk to you until tonight," Kurt said.

"Hi, Kurt. Yeah, I was going to phone you tonight, but I have a question first," Blaine replied. He looked up to see his family watching him, Cooper with a smirk on his face. He narrowed his eyes at him before turning his attention back to the phone call.

"Shoot," said Kurt.

"Are you busy at work lately? Like do you have any time for another dress?" Blaine asked.

"Erm, no I'm not so yeah I guess so. It would depend on how much time I'd have. Why?"

"Because my soon to be sister-in-law, Lara, is in need of a wedding dress, and Harmony reminded us that you make dresses. I mean the wedding is pretty soon so if it's impossible then..." Blaine trailed off, allowing Kurt to step in.

"Harmony remembered that I make dresses?" Kurt asked. Blaine could almost hear the smile on his face.

"Yeah, she's always asking about it," Blaine admitted.

"Well, I'm very glad she suggested it then. The wedding is in how long again?"

"Seven weeks," Blaine stated.

"Okay, I wouldn't have enough time to make her a dress from scratch, but if she wanted to come by this weekend, I have some sample dresses that I've already got made up. I could fit them and customise them for her," Kurt suggested.

Blaine pulled the phone to his shoulder for a second to relay the information to Lara, who nodded enthusiastically and said that the idea was brilliant. "Yeah, that's great," Blaine told Kurt.

"Great! How about you come by a couple of hours before our date. Get Lara to bring you both over to the shop and then I can take us to the movies and drop you home afterwards. How does that sound?"

"That sounds great. Thank you so much, Kurt!"

"It's no problem at all. I'll see you tomorrow? Same time?"

"Of course," sighed Blaine. "I'll have your non-fat mocha ready and waiting."

"I can't wait. Bye, Blaine."

"Bye, Kurt," Blaine replied. He hung up and looked up to see his family still watching. He'd almost forgotten that they were there. He blushed slightly but ignored the heat in his cheeks to tell them about the plans he'd made with Kurt. Lara grinned and hugged her soon to be brother-in-law tightly, before hugging her soon to be niece for the suggestion. Harmony just smiled proudly before helping herself to another cookie.

"So Lara gets to meet your mystery man," Cooper said once Lara, Lydia and Harmony were talking about bridesmaid dresses and their father had gone to the bathroom. "When's it my turn?"

"You'll meet him soon enough," Blaine assured him. "Like, when - if - we become official."

"It's definitely when going by the way you talk to him. And about him. You're going to talk about it in like, three weeks, right?" Blaine nodded. "That's great. You can bring him as a date for the wedding!"

Blaine grinned at the idea. He'd been to a lot of family weddings, but he'd never taken a date along. He thought of how they could dance together at the reception, holding each other close as they swayed to a slow song. Like the prom slow dance he'd never had.

"Hello, Earth to Blaine?" Cooper chuckled, waving a hand in front of Blaine's face.

"Sorry, got lost in thought there," Blaine explained.

"I could see that. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an adorable niece that I haven't seen in forever and I intend to go and swing her around like a good uncle should," Cooper said, jumping up from the couch and heading over to Harmony.

"Stop if she feels sick!" Blaine called after him. "I won't be clearing that mess up!"

* * *

Saturday found Lara driving Blaine to Westerville, excitedly talking about dress ideas. The sat-nav guided them to the small bridal shop just around the corner from the main mall. Kurt had given Blaine the directions when he'd come in to get his coffee the previous day. They hurried out of the car and towards the shop, Lara bouncing excitedly as she hooked her arm through Blaine's and pulled her jacket tighter in the cold. They headed inside to find Kurt sat waiting for them, reading a magazine in the reception area.

"Blaine!" Kurt exclaimed when he heard the door and looked up to see them enter. He quickly put down the magazine and approached to give Blaine a hug. "It's good to see you."

"Hey, it's good to see you too," Blaine replied, squeezing Kurt's waist.

"And you must be Lara," Kurt said as he stepped backwards, holding a hand out for her to shake.

"It's nice to meet you, Kurt," Lara said politely, shaking his hand.

"You too. Shall we get right to it? Follow me, I work out back," Kurt intrstructed, heading towards the back of the shop, Blaine and Lara in tow. Lara leant into Blaine's side and whispered "He's cute," before letting go and stepping ahead of Blaine into the back of the shop.

The back of the shop was how Blaine imagined it would be. Very organised, yet teeming with creativity. There were separate racks labelled 'samples', 'complete' and 'incomplete'. There were several mannequins around the room, some empty and some wearing corsets or skirts. A table pushed up against the wall was covered in pieces of paper, pencils and measuring tapes and above it that, tacked to the wall, were tens of designs. Blaine could see Kurt working here, definitely.

"Have a seat," Kurt offered, gesturing to a couch near the door. Both Blaine and Lara sat down, but Kurt turned to pull over the rack of samples he had. "Okay, now do you have any ideas of what you're looking for?" He stood the rack a few metres away from them and stood before it, his hands clasped in front of him.

"I didn't want something too big," Lara began. "I want something elegant and beautiful and quite simple. I was thinking maybe a sweetheart neckline and a long skirt. And I'd quite like the bodice to be ruched."

"I can work with that," Kurt confirmed. He turned to the rack and began searching through the dresses, occasionally pulling one out and hanging it on one end of the rack to save it. Blaine watched Kurt work. He knew Kurt was beautiful, but when he was like this, determined yet excited and doing something he loved, Blaine couldn't help but think he was the most beautiful man in the whole world.

"Okay, how about we try these one," Kurt suggested, holding up three dresses covered with clear plastic. "You don't mind me helping you into them do you, Lara?" Lara shook her head as she stood up. "Well there's a dressing room right over here. Blaine help yourself to magazines and stuff. We shouldn't be too long." Kurt lead Lara into the dressing room and closed the door, leaving Blaine alone. He could hear the two talking, but the sound was muffled by the door, so he didn't have the opportunity to eavesdrop. Blaine stood up and wandered around the room. He paused in front of the desk to look at some of Kurt's designs.

Blaine knew Kurt was good, but some of the designs were just beautiful. His eyes wandered down to the desk where papers were scattered. Blaine noticed that some of the designs weren't particularly for wedding dresses, but all sorts of dresses and outfits. He fingered one particular piece of paper that contained a design for a male outfit. A sweater that was cut diagonally and coloured red. The design was labelled 'A Look To Bring Back'. Blaine smiled and placed the paper back where he found it. Before long the sound of the dressing room door opening pulled his attention and he turned to see Lara, clad in a beautiful dress, walking back into the room. Kurt lead her to a small stand which she stood upon to let her dress flow free.

"What do you think Blaine?" Lara asked, turning left and right to make the skirt flow. The dress was amazing. It was strapless, with the sweetheart neckline and ruching that Lara had asked for showing off her slim figure. The skirt was flowed outwards from the bodice, the plain silky material glowing under the spotlights of the room.

"You look beautiful," Blaine said, walking around her to look at the dress from all angles.

"It would need fitting a little in the back, and we decided to have a simple belt of jewels around the middle, of which I have designs for her to look at," Kurt went on to explain. "You can still try on the other dresses if you want too. In case you find one you like better."

Lara stood, appreciating her reflection in the mirror opposite her for a few more seconds before nodding. They tried on the other two dresses that Kurt had taken in with them and both were gorgeous, but Lara had completely fell in love with the first dress she'd tried on. She tried it on again and confirmed that that was the dress she wanted. Once Lara was in her own clothes Blaine watched as Kurt took measurements, and discusses prices and jewels.

Soon, they were done and Lara hugged Kurt in thanks before hugging Blaine and stepping out of the shop and heading to the car. Kurt was grinning from ear to ear when Blaine turned to look at him.

"That went well," Kurt said, pulling Blaine into a tight hug.

"Thank you," Blaine said.

"There's nothing to thank me for, I'm just doing my job. Now, how about that date?" Kurt chuckled. He stepped out of Blaine's arms and ran to get his wallet and keys. As Blaine watched him go, he couldn't help but think that soon enough, he was going to fall completely in love with Kurt Hummel.

* * *

**_[A/N] Sorry this was so late. I thought I'd let you know that I have never actually been bridal shopping, so everything in this chapter about that was probably what I've picked up from countless episodes of Say Yes To The Dress (okay, I'm a self confessed TLC addict). I hope you all enjoyed!_**


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